A solemn ceremony of keel laying of the non-propelled dredger Nikolay Rusanov took place in Astrakhan, attended by Oleg Knyazev, Chairman of the Government of the Astrakhan Region, and Ilya Volynsky, Minister of Industry and Natural Resources of the Astrakhan Region. The vessel is being built for the FSUE “Rosmorport” Astrakhan Branch.

Aleksander Kim, Director of the Astrakhan Branch, made a welcome statement. He spoke about the importance of developing domestic shipbuilding industry at the present, strengthening the transport and logistics infrastructure in the country, as well as the advantages of the new dredger.

Nikolay Rusanov vessel will be the seventh dredger in the dredging fleet of the Astrakhan Branch. It will be used to maintain the specified depths in the marine part of the Volga-Caspian Seaway Canal, in the waters and approaches to seaports.

Maintaining the required depths of inland waterways is extremely important for ensuring navigation safety and increasing cargo transportation by sea. Thus, FSUE “Rosmorport” began repair dredging on the Volga-Caspian Seaway Canal in the spring of the current year. Work on the limiting sections of the canal is carried out by six dredgers of the Astrakhan Branch of the enterprise. The Nikolay Rusanov vessel is expected to enter into operation in the winter of 2024.

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The non-propelled cutting dredger is named after Nikolay Vassilyevich Rusanov, who served as Head of the Astrakhan Port Maritime Administration until 2000. Nikolay Rusanov was among the initiators of the program for the revival of the Russian merchant fleet in the Caspian Sea, made an invaluable personal contribution to the maintenance of year-round navigation and the development of the Astrakhan water transport hub.

For many years of conscientious work for the benefit of the industry, he was awarded the Honorary Badge “Honorary Employee of the Navy”.

For his services to the people of Astrakhan, Nikolay Rusanov was awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of the city of Astrakhan”.

Basic technical characteristics of the vessel: